Wilson Tucker
Wilson "Bob" Tucker was a notable figure in the science fiction community, recognized for his transition from a fan writer to a professional author while maintaining strong ties with the fanbase. Born on November 23, 1914, in Deer Creek, Illinois, he spent much of his life in the Bloomington-Normal area, where he worked as a motion-picture projectionist and electrician, allowing him time to pursue writing. Tucker began his writing journey in fanzines, eventually publishing his own titles and becoming the president of the National Fantasy Fan Federation in the early 1940s. He is famously known for incorporating friends into his stories, a practice called "Tuckerizations," which became a popular trend in the science fiction community.
By the 1940s, Tucker began selling stories to professional magazines and shifted to writing novels in the 1950s, focusing on "soft" science fiction and historical themes, particularly through time travel. He also explored mystery writing, which he found enjoyable and less challenging. Throughout his career, Tucker received several accolades, including a Hugo Award and the John W. Campbell Memorial Award, and was honored as a guest at major conventions. Despite health challenges in his later years, Tucker remained a celebrated figure in science fiction until his passing on October 6, 2006.
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Wilson Tucker
Writer
- Born: November 23, 1914
- Birthplace: Deer Creek, Illinois
- Died: October 6, 2006
- Place of death: Palm Beach, Florida
Biography
Wilson “Bob” Tucker became in the science-fiction community the prototype of the writer who successfully crossed the line from fan writer to professional writer without losing contact with the fan community. Born in Deer Creek, Illinois on November 23, 1914, he later moved to Normal, Illinois, where he received his education at Normal High School. He lived in the Bloomington-Normal area for most of his life. He was married twice. His first marriage, to Mary Jan Joestine in 1937 ended in divorce in 1942. In 1953, he married Fern Delores Brookes, with whom he had one daughter and four sons.
Tucker found solid work as a motion-picture projectionist and electrician, jobs that allowed him to both work with technology and have time to write. He got his start in fanzines, which were often produced by such early duplication processes as hectography (a gelatin-based technology) and mimeography. Tucker initially contributed letters and stories to other people’s fanzines but eventually published his own, including The Planetoid, Science Fiction News Letter, and Fanewscard Weekly. He was also president of the National Fantasy Fan Federation from 1942 to 1943.
Tucker became well-known in the fan community for writing friends into his stories as minor characters, a practice that soon led to readers eagerly seeking to spot these “Tuckerizations,” as they came to be called in the science-fiction community. Other writers since picked up this practice, and the auction of Tuckerizations in well-known authors’ upcoming novels for charity has become a frequent staple of charity auctions in science-fiction conventions.
By the 1940’s, Tucker began to sell stories to professional magazines, and in the 1950’s he took advantage of the development of the market for science-fiction novels to move into writing stories of that length. However, unlike Isaac Asimov or Robert A. Heinlein, who wrote “hard” science fiction in which natural science was often the primary focus of the story, Tucker generally focused on the “soft” social sciences, and particularly on history. Time travel was a frequent mechanism that allowed him to explore the possible permutations of historical events.
As Tucker’s reputation grew, he also began to write mysteries, which he considered to be in many ways easier and more enjoyable than writing science fiction. However, he remained active in the science-fiction community, receiving a Hugo Award in 1970 and the John W. Campbell Memorial Award in 1976. In 1967, he was the guest of honor at the Twenty-Fifth World Science Fiction Convention. However, in the late 1990’s his health began to restrict the number of conventions he could attend. He died on October 6, 2006, in Palm Beach, Florida.